XXIII. AND
the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty and seven years, the years of the life
of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryath‑arba, which is Hebron, in the land of
Kenaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to lament her. And Abraham
rose up from the presence of his dead, and spake with the sons of Hittah,
saying, I am a guest and a sojourner with you: give me the possession of a
sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead from before me. And the sons of
Hittah answered Abraham, saying to him, Receive from us Ribbona; a prince
before the Lord art thou among us; in the best of our sepulchres bury thy dead.
No man of us will refuse his sepulchre to thee for the burial of thy dead. And
Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Hittah. And he
spake with them, saying, If you are willing in your minds that I should bury my
dead from before me, receive from me, and request[1] for me
of Ephron bar Zochar that he will give me the Double Cavern,[2] which
is in the side of his field: for the full amount (shelim) ofsilver
he shall give it to me among you for the possession of a sepulchre. But Ephron
was sitting in the midst of the sons of Hittah; and Ephron the Hittite answered
Abraham before the sons of Hittah, of all entering the gate of the city,
saying, No, my lord; receive of me; I will present to thee the field and the
cavern which is in it; to thee will I present it; in sight of the sons of my
people will I present it to thee. Bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed before the
people of the land. And he spake with Ephron before the people of the land,
saying, Nevertheless, if thou wilt do me a grace, receive from me; I will give
money for the field; take of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron
answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, receive of me: the land is worth four
hundred sileen of silver; between me and thee what is it? Bury thy dead. And
Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver of which
be had spoken before the sons of Hittah, four hundred sileen of silver, which
is received in merchandise in every city.[3] And Ephron confirmed
the field in which is the double cavern which is before Mamre; the field, and
the cavern that is therein, and all the trees which were in the field, in all
its boundaries round about, to Abraham, for a purchase, in the sight[4]
of the sons of Hitah, of all entering the gate of the city. And after this
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the double cavern of the field which is before
Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Kenaan. And the field and the cavern
which is in it were confirmed to Abraham for the possession of a sepulchre from
the sons of Hittah.

XXIV.And Abraham was old, (and) advanced in days, and the
Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the
elder of his house, who had authority over all which was his, Putnow thy hand under my thigh, and I will adjure thee
by the Word of the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou
wilt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaanaee among whom
I dwell. But to my country and to my kindred thou wilt go, and take a wife for
my son Izhak. And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be
willing to come after me to this land,‑returning am I to return thy son
to the land from which thou hast gone forth? And Abraham said to him, Take care
that thou return not my son thither; the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me
from the house of my father and from the land of my birth, and who spake to me,
and sware to me, saying, I will give thee this land, will send His angel before
thee, and thou wilt take a wife for my son from thence. And if the woman be not
willing to come after thee, thou shalt be absolved from this my oath; only
cause not my son to return thither. And the servant put his hand under the
thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter. And the
servant took ten camels of the camels of his lord and went. And all the goods
of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram, which is upon
Phrath, the river, to the city of Nachor. And he made the camels rest without
the city at a well of waters in the evening time, at the time when they came
forth to fill. And he said, Lord God of my master Abraham, let it, I pray, be
opportune with me this day, and deal thou graciously with my master Abraham.
Behold, I stand by the fountain of waters, and the daughters of the men of the
city will come forth to draw water. Let the maiden to whom I shall say, Reach
thy waterpot, I pray, that I may drink; and she say, Drink, and I will also
give thy camels drink,‑be she whom Thou hast prepared for Thy servant,
for Izhak: and in this I shall know that Thou hast dealt graciously with my
master. And it was while he hadnot ceased to speak that, behold,
Revekah came forth, (she) who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcha, wife of
Nachor, brother of Abraham, and her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the maiden
was very fair to behold; a virgin, and man had not known her; and she descended
to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant hasted to
her presence; and said, Let me taste, I pray, a little water from thy pitcher.
And she said, Drink, Ribboni; and she made haste, and held her pitcher upon her
hand, and gave him to drink. And when she had ended giving him drink, she said,
For thy camels also I will draw, until they shall have enough to drink. And she
hastened and poured out her pitcher into the place of watering, and ran again
to the well to fill, and she filled for all his camels . And the man wondered
at her, gazing silently, to know whether the Lord had prospered his way or not.
And it was when the camels had drunk enough, the man took a ring (qadasha) of gold weighing a shekel, and two bracelets (sherin)
for the hand weighing ten sileen of gold.
And he said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray, whether there be room in
thy father's house sufficient for us to lodge? And she said to him, I am the
daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcha, whom she bare to Nachor. And she said
to him, There is much straw and provender with us, also room enough to lodge.
And the man kneeled, and worshipped before the Lord, and said, Blessed be the
Lord the God of my master Abraham, who hath not withheld His grace and His
truth from my master; and me hath the Lord led in a right way to the house of
my master's brother. And the maiden ran and showed these things to her mother's
house. And Revekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran to the man
without at the fountain. And it was when he saw the ring and the bracelets upon
the hands of his sister, and heard the words of Revekah his sister, saying, As
this spake the man with me, that he came to the man, and, behold, he stood by
the camels at the fountain; and he said, Enter, blessed of the Lord;[5]
why standest thou without? and I have a prepared house and a proper place for
the camels. And the man entered the house, and he loosed the camels, and gave
straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of
the men who were with him. And they set before him to eat. And he said, I will
not eat until I have spoken my words. And he said, Speak. And he said, I am a
servant of Abraham; and the Lord hath blessed my master much, and increased,
and hath given to him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, servants and
handmaidens, camels and asses. And Sarah the wife of my master bare a son to my
master after she was old, and he hath given to him all that he hath. And my
master adjured me, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the
daughters of Kenaan in whose land I dwell; but thou shalt go to my father's
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son. And I said to my master,
Perhaps the woman will not come after me. And he said to me, The Lord before
whom I worship will send His angel with thee, and will prosper thy way, and
thou shalt take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father's house.
Then shalt thou be absolved from my oath when thou hast gone to my kindred: and
if they will not give unto thee, thou shalt be absolved from my oath. And I
came this day to the fountain, and I said, Lord God of my master Abraham, if
now it is pleasing before thee to prosper the way in which I go, behold, I
stand at the fountain of waters, and a damsel may come forth to fill; and I
will say to her, Give me to drink, I entreat, a little water from thy pitcher;
and she shall say to me, Both for thee and thy camels also I will fill,‑let
her be the wife whom the Lord hath ordained for my master's son. And I had not
left speaking in my heart, when, behold, Revekah came forth, with her pitcher
upon her shoulder, and went down to the fountain and filled. And I said to her,
Let me now drink. And she hastened and let down her pitcher, and said, Drink,
and I will give thy camels also drink. And I drank, and the camels also she
watered. And I asked her and said, Whose daughter art thou? and she said, I am
the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nachor, whom Milcha bare to him. And I set
an ornament on her face, and bracelets upon her hand, and bowed down and
worshipped before the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham who had
led me in a true way, to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son.
And now,if you will act with goodness and truth with my master,
show me; and if not, I will turn to the right or to the left. And Laban
answered, and Bethuel, and said, From before the Lord the word hath come forth:
we have no power to say to thee either evil or good. Behold, Revekah is before
thee; take (her) and go; and let her be the wife of thy master's son, as the
Lord hath spoken. And it was, when the servant of Abraham heard these words, he
worshipped on the earth before the Lord. And the servant brought out vessels of
silver and vessels of gold and vestments, and gave to Revekah, and presents
gave he to her brother and to her mother. And they ate and drank, he and the men
who were with him, and they lodged and arose in the morning. And he said, Send
me to my master. And her brother said, and her mother, Let the maiden abide
with us a season of time, or ten months; after that she shall go. And he said
to them, Keep me not back: the Lord will direct my way, and I will proceed to
my master. And they said, We will call the maiden, and hear what she will say.
And they called Revekah, and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? and she
said, I will go. And they dismissed Revekah their sister, and her nurse, and
the servant of Abraham, and his men. And they blessed Revekah, and said to her,
Thou art our sister; be thou (multiplied) unto thousands and myriads, and may
thy children inherit the cities of those who hate them. And Revekah arose, and
her maidens; and they rode upon camels, and went after the man. And the servant
took Revekah and went. And Izhak ascended in coming from the well over which
the Angel of Life (malak qayama, "
the Eternal Angel") had appeared; and he dwelt in the land of the south.
And Izhak went forth to pray in the field, at the presence of the evening; and
he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, the camels came. And Revekah
lifted up her eyes, and saw Izhak; and she bowed herself on the camel. And she
said to the servant, Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us? And
the servant said, He is my master. And she took a mantle and covered herself.
And the servant recounted to Izhak all the things which he had done. And Izhak
brought her to the tabernacle: and he saw, and, behold, her works were right as
the works of Sarah his mother. And he took Revekah, and she became his wife,
and he loved her.And Izhak was comforted after his mother.

XXV. And
Abraham added, and took a wife, and hername
was Keturah; and she bare to him Zimran, and Yokshan, and Medan, and Midyan,
and Yeshbach, and Shuvach. And Yokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan; and the sons of
Dedan have been in camps and tabernacles and islands.[6] And
the sons of Midyan, Eipha, and Epher, and Hanok, and Abidah, and Eldaah: all
these the sons of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had unto Izhak. But to
the sons of the concubine of Abraham gave Abraham portions, and sent them from
his son Izhak, while he yet lived, eastward in the land of the sunrise. And
these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham that he lived, an
hundred and seventy and five years. And Abraham expired, and died in a good old
age, aged, and full of days; and he was gathered unto his people. And Izhak and
Ishmael his sons buried him in the twofold cave in the field of Ephron bar
Zochar, the Hittah, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham bought from
the sons of Hittah: there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. And it was
after the death of Abraham that the Lord blessed Izhak his son, and Izhak dwelt
at the well over which the Eternal Angel had appeared. And these are the
generations of Ishmael bar Abraham, whom Hagar the Mizretha, the handmaid of
Sarah, bare to Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their
names in their generations. The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and
Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Duma, and Massa; Hadad, and Thema, Yetoor,
Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names
in their villages and their towns, twelve chiefs of their peoples.[7]
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven
years. And he expired and died, and was gathered to his people. And they have
dwelt from Havilah unto Hagra, which looketh toward Mizraim, reaching unto
Athoor. In the presence of all his brethren he dwelt.